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Believer Posted 20 years ago
Grammar
Are they absolutely fixed or relatively fixed?
Hi,
When I look at some dictionaries, I see phrases like "upon request" and "on request" and one of my dictionaries have many phrases like those in addition to definitions to (I think) help us to get informed of the various usages of words, but sometimes, I wonder if those are fixed and cannot add adjectives to modify.
I think this can be done:
upon generous/popular request
on generous/popopular request
Do you have some suggestions as to help me to make right decisions when confronted with decisions of such nature? How do we know which phrase can be modified with the adjective? Do we just have to watch the normal usages of those phrases and see if they are being used as such?
When I look at some dictionaries, I see phrases like "upon request" and "on request" and one of my dictionaries have many phrases like those in addition to definitions to (I think) help us to get informed of the various usages of words, but sometimes, I wonder if those are fixed and cannot add adjectives to modify.
I think this can be done:
upon generous/popular request
on generous/popopular request
Do you have some suggestions as to help me to make right decisions when confronted with decisions of such nature? How do we know which phrase can be modified with the adjective? Do we just have to watch the normal usages of those phrases and see if they are being used as such?
Top answer
I am not sure what you are after here, Believer. Here is what the American Heritage Dictionary has to say about these two synonyms: "In their uses to indicate spatial relations, on and upon are often interchangeable: It was resting on (or upon ) two supports. We saw a finch light on (or upon ) a bough.
- I am not sure what you are after here, Believer.
- Here is what the American Heritage Dictionary has to say about these two synonyms: "In their uses to indicate spatial relations, on and upon are often interchangeable: It was resting on (or upon ) two supports.
- We saw a finch light on (or upon ) a bough.
- To indicate a relation between two things, however, instead of between an action and an end point, upon cannot always be used: Hand me the book on (not upon ) the table.
- It was the only town on (not upon ) the main line.
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1 Answers
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I am not sure what you are after here, Believer. Here is what the American Heritage Dictionary has to say about these two synonyms:
"In their uses to indicate spatial relations, on and upon are often interchangeable: It was resting on (or upon) two supports. We saw a finch light on (or upon) a bough. To indicate a relation between two thin
"In their uses to indicate spatial relations, on and upon are often interchangeable: It was resting on (or upon) two supports. We saw a finch light on (or upon) a bough. To indicate a relation between two thin
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